1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a bathing chair positioning system, particularly to a bathing chair positioning system, which has a horizontally movable seat to be positioned inside or outside a bathtub.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventional bathtubs in a bathroom are inconvenient for old persons or persons disabled at the lower part of the body, because it is difficult for them to step over the edge of the bathtub. Generally a nurse is needed for assistance. To make entering and leaving a bathtub easier and less dangerous for old or disabled persons bathtub seats have been designed. A bathtub seat extends over the width of the bathtub. When entering the bathtub, the user sits down on the seat and slides towards the middle of the bathtub seat. The nurse only has to help to place the legs of the user in the bathtub, and the user may bathe. For leaving the bathtub, the legs of the user are heaved over the edge of the bathtub, and the user slides outward. However, shifting the bottom while holding grips with the hands is a hard task for old and disabled persons. Having the legs lifted at the same time by the nurse easily results in balance being lost. Therefore, conventional bathtub seats are not convenient and not safe to use. A nurse is still needed for assistance.
For this reason, a nursing chair has been designed to assist an old or disabled user effectively for entering and leaving a bathtub. As shown in FIG. 3 the nursing chair comprises: a frame 2, which extends over the width of the bathtub and a longitudinal edge thereof; several gliding elements 3, glidingly movable along the frame 2; a seat 4, which is fastened to the gliding elements 3; and a handle 5. The frame comprises two transverse bars 21, 22, which are bent into the shape of a wide letter U turned upside down, and two connecting bars 23A, 23B for connecting the transverse bars 21 and 22. The two bars 21, 22 are parallel to each other and extend over the longitudinal edge of the bathtub. The transverse bars 21, 22 have a horizontal middle sections 211, 221, respectively. The seat 4 has a bottom and a back rest 41. The back rest 41 is connected to the bottom 41 by L-shaped bars 42A, 42B. The seat 4 is fastened to the gliding elements 3 by bolts and thus glidingly movable along the horizontal middle sections 211, 221 of the transverse bars 21, 22. The handle 5 is shaped like the letter U turned upside down and connects the transverse bars 21, 22 on neighboring ends of the horizontal middle sections 211, 221 thereof at a suitable height. The user, in order to enter the bathtub, sits down on the seat 4 in a position outside the bathtub 1 and then glides into the bathtub 1, holding the handle 5.
This nursing chair allows an old or disabled person to enter and leave a bathtub safely, but still has the following shortcoming. When the user gets seated or is busy bathing, the seat possibly glides aside, leaving the user with an insecure feeling or even causing the user to lose balance.